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Dai Sijie
| No. 96 – Arizona Cardinals | |
|---|---|
| Position: | Nose tackle |
| Personal information | |
| Born: | July 26, 2001 Memphis, Tennessee, U.S. |
| Height: | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) |
| Weight: | 334 lb (151 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school: | Pearl-Cohn (Nashville, Tennessee) |
| College: | Tennessee (2019–2024) |
| NFL draft: | 2025: undrafted |
| Career history | |
| |
| Roster status: | Active |
| Stats at Pro Football Reference | |
Elijah Well Simmons (born July 26, 2001) is an American professional football nose tackle for the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Tennessee Volunteers.
Early life and high school
Simmons was born on July 26, 2001 in Memphis, Tennessee and moved to Nashville, Tennessee when he was eight.[1] Simmons attended Pearl-Cohn Comprehensive High School in Nashville. In his sophomore and junior seasons he combined for 85 tackles as he was named all-Area in his junior season as he helped lead his team to back-to-back playoff semifinal appearances.[2] Simmons also won state titles in both shot put and discus.[3] Coming out of high school, he was rated as a three-star recruit and committed to play college football for the Tennessee Volunteers over offers from Memphis and Missouri.[2]
College career
As a freshman in 2019, Simmons appeared in three games and took a redshirt.[4] In 2020, he played in ten games for the Volunteers, where he tallied ten tackles and a pass deflection.[5] In 2021, Simmons appeared in seven games with four starts, where he notched 11 tackles with two being for a loss.[6] In 2022, he posted eight tackles with one going for a loss for Tennessee.[7] In 2023, Simmons recorded 19 tackles with three being for a loss for the Volunteers.[8] In 2024, he played in all 13 games for Tennessee, making two starts, where he totaled 11 tackles with one and a half being for a loss.[9]
Professional career
Simmons declared for the 2025 NFL draft, while also accepting an invite to participate in the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine.[9]
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | Vertical jump | Broad jump | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) |
334 lb (151 kg) |
32+3⁄4 in (0.83 m) |
10+1⁄4 in (0.26 m) |
5.37 s | 1.88 s | 3.11 s | 32.0 in (0.81 m) |
8 ft 10 in (2.69 m) | ||||
| All values from NFL Combine[10][11] | ||||||||||||
On April 28, 2025, Simmons signed with the Arizona Cardinals as an undrafted free agent.[12]
References
- ^ Brugler, Dane. "The Beast: 2025 NFL Draft Guide" (PDF). The Athletic. p. 364. Retrieved April 9, 2025.
- ^ a b Murphy, Michael (July 16, 2018). "Elijah Simmons, a Pearl-Cohn defensive tackle, commits to Tennessee". The Tennessean. Retrieved February 23, 2025.
- ^ Kreager, Tom. "Why Tennessee football signee Elijah Simmons is spending more time on track before going to Knoxville". The Tennessean. Retrieved February 23, 2025.
- ^ Panzica, Lucas. "2020 UT football player card: Elijah Simmons". Vols Wire. Retrieved February 23, 2025.
- ^ McKee, Ben. "Elijah Simmons learning to be more accountable, earns starting spot". Rivals.com. Retrieved February 23, 2025.
- ^ Sparks, Adam. "Why Elijah Simmons' weight is such a hot topic at Tennessee football spring practice". Knoxville News Sentinel. Retrieved February 23, 2025.
- ^ Paschall, David. "Simmons 'rocking' No. 10 for Vols, but Garner wants to see more". Chattanooga Times Free Press. Retrieved February 23, 2025.
- ^ Paschall, David. "Sizable Simmons happy to set the tone for defensive Vols". Chattanooga Times Free Press. Retrieved February 23, 2025.
- ^ a b Callahan, Ryan. "Veteran DT Elijah Simmons says goodbye to Vols, declares for NFL draft". 247Sports. Retrieved February 23, 2025.
- ^ "Elijah Simmons Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved February 28, 2025.
- ^ "Elijah Simmons College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved February 28, 2025.
- ^ Urban, Darren. "Cardinals Bring In 3 Offensive Linemen Among 6 Undrafted Rookies". AZCardinals.com. Retrieved April 29, 2025.